¹ tn Heb “with a great voice.”

² tn Heb “came to.”

³ tn Heb “today.”

⁴ tc The translation follows the Qere, 4QSam^a, and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading לוּ (lu, “if”) rather than MT לֹא (lo’, “not”).

⁵ tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack “today.”

⁶ tn Heb “and speak to the heart of.”

⁷ tn Heb “all the people.”

⁸ tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” (see 18:16-17).

⁹ tn Heb “had fled, each to his tent.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “over us.”

¹¹ tc The LXX includes the following words at the end of v. 11: “And what all Israel was saying came to the king’s attention.” The words are misplaced in the LXX from v. 12 (although the same statement appears there in the LXX as well).

¹² tn Heb “his house.”

¹³ tc The Hebrew text adds “to his house” (= palace), but the phrase, which also appears earlier in the verse, is probably accidentally repeated here.

¹⁴ tn Heb “my bone and my flesh.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “my bone and my flesh.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “Thus God will do to me and thus he will add.”

¹⁷ tn The referent of “he” is not entirely clear: cf. NCV “David”; TEV “David’s words”; NRSV, NLT “Amasa.”

¹⁸ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹⁹ tn The Hebrew text has simply “Judah.”

²⁰ tn Heb “the king.” The pronoun (“him”) has been used in the translation to avoid redundancy.

²¹ tn Heb “youth.”

²² tn Heb “rushed into.”

²³ tn Though this verb in the MT is 3rd person masculine singular, it should probably be read as 2nd person masculine singular. It is one of fifteen places where the Masoretes placed a dot over each of the letters of the word in question in order to call attention to their suspicion of the word. Their concern in this case apparently had to do with the fact that this verb and the two preceding verbs alternate from third person to second and back again to third. Words marked in this way in Hebrew manuscripts or printed editions are said to have puncta extrordinaria, or “extraordinary points.”

²⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

²⁵ tn The Hebrew text has simply “your servant.”

²⁶ tn Heb “what to me and to you.”

²⁷ tn Heb “swore to him.”

²⁸ tn Heb “son.”

²⁹ tn Heb “in peace.” So also in v. 31.

³⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Mephibosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³¹ tn Heb “done his feet.”

³² tn Heb “done.”

³³ tn Heb “your servant.”

³⁴ tn Heb “your servant.”

³⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁶ tn Heb “your servant.”

³⁷ tn Heb “father.”

³⁸ tn Heb “and you placed your servant among those who eat at your table.”

³⁹ tn Heb “to cry out to.”

⁴⁰ tn Heb “take.”

⁴¹ tn Heb “in peace.”

⁴² tc The MT reading אֶת־בַיַּרְדֵּן (’et-vayyarden, “in the Jordan”) is odd syntactically. The use of the preposition after the object marker אֶת (’et) is difficult to explain. Graphic confusion is likely in the MT; the translation assumes the reading מִיַּרְדֵּן (miyyarden, “from the Jordan”). Another possibility is to read the definite article on the front of “Jordan” (הַיַּרְדֵּן, hayyarden; “the Jordan”).

⁴³ tn Heb “great.”

⁴⁴ tn Heb “your servant.”

⁴⁵ tn Heb “your servant.”

⁴⁶ tn Heb “Like a little your servant will cross the Jordan with the king.”

⁴⁷ tn Heb “your servant.”

⁴⁸ tn Heb “to his place.”

⁴⁹ tn The MT in this instance alone spells the name with final ן (nun, “Kimhan”) rather than as elsewhere with final ם (mem, “Kimham”). As in most other translations, the conventional spelling (with ם) has been used here to avoid confusion.

⁵⁰ tn Heb “people.”

⁵¹ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the Hiphil verb הֶעֱבִירוּ (he’eviru, “they caused to pass over”) rather than the Qal verb וַיְעֱבִרוּ (vay’ÿviru, “they crossed over”) of the MT.

⁵² tn Heb “from the king.”

⁵³ tn The translation understands the verb in a desiderative sense, indicating the desire but not necessarily the completed action of the party in question. It is possible, however, that the verb should be given the more common sense of accomplished action, in which case it means here “Why have you cursed us?”

⁵⁴ tn Grk “Boasting is necessary.”

⁵⁵ sn In the NT, paradise is mentioned three times. In Luke 23:43 it refers to the abode of the righteous dead. In Rev 2:7 it refers to the restoration of Edenic paradise predicted in Isa 51:3 and Ezek 36:35. The reference here in 2 Cor 12:4 is probably to be translated as parallel to the mention of the “third heaven” in v. 2. Assuming that the “first heaven” would be atmospheric heaven (the sky) and “second heaven” the more distant stars and planets, “third heaven” would refer to the place where God dwells. This is much more likely than some variation on the seven heavens mentioned in the pseudepigraphic book 2 Enoch and in other nonbiblical and rabbinic works.

⁵⁶ tn Or “things that cannot be put into words.”

⁵⁷ tn Grk “a man.”

⁵⁸ tn Or “speaking.”

⁵⁹ tn Or “may think of.”

⁶⁰ tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁶ D Ψ 1881 Ï) lack διό (dio, “Therefore”), but the widespread distribution and quality of mss which include it (א A B F G 0243 33 81 1175 1739 pc) argues for its authenticity. Internally, its case is equally strong in that its inclusion is grammatically rough (διό is hardly necessary to convey purpose, especially since Paul uses ἵνα [{ina, “so that”] next).

⁶¹ tn Or “to harass.”

⁶² tn The phrase “so that I might not become arrogant” is repeated here because it occurs in the Greek text two times in the verse. Although redundant, it is repeated because of the emphatic nature of its affirmation.

⁶³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” because of the contrast implicit in the context.

⁶⁴ tn Or “is sufficient.”

⁶⁵ tc The majority of later mss (א² A^c D¹ Ψ 0243 0278 33 1739 1881 Ï) as well as some versional witnesses include the pronoun “my” here, but the omission of the pronoun has excellent external support (Ì^46vid א* A* B D* F G latt). Scribes probably added the pronoun for clarity, making the obvious referent explicit. This would also make “power” more parallel with “my grace.” Though the original text probably did not include “my,” scribes who added the word were following the sense of Paul’s statement.

tn The pronoun “my” was supplied in the translation to clarify the sense of Paul’s expression.

⁶⁶ tn Or “my power comes to full strength.”

⁶⁷ tn “Most gladly,” a comparative form used with superlative meaning and translated as such.

⁶⁸ tn Or “may rest on.”

⁶⁹ tn Or “I take delight in.”

⁷⁰ tn Or “calamities.”

⁷¹ tn Or “I am in no way inferior.”

⁷² tn Or “patience,” “endurance.”

⁷³ tn Or “and miracles.”

⁷⁴ tn Grk “For in what respect.”

⁷⁵ tn Grk “children ought not,” but this might give the impression that children are not supposed to support sick or aging parents in need of help. That is not what Paul is saying. His point is that children should not have to pay their parent’s way.

⁷⁶ tn Grk “souls.”

⁷⁷ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative answer, indicated by the ‘tag’ question “have I?” at the end of the clause. The question is rhetorical.

⁷⁸ tn The words “to visit you” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, and must be supplied for the modern reader.

⁷⁹ tn Grk “the.”

⁸⁰ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative answer, indicated by the ‘tag’ question “did he?” at the end of the clause.

⁸¹ tn Grk “[Did we not walk] in the same tracks?” This is an idiom that means to imitate someone else or to behave as they do. Paul’s point is that he and Titus have conducted themselves in the same way toward the Corinthians. If Titus did not take advantage of the Corinthians, then neither did Paul.

⁸² tc The reading “all this time” (πάλαι, palai) is found in several early and important Alexandrian and Western witnesses including א* A B F G 0243 6 33 81 365 1175 1739 1881 lat; the reading πάλιν (palin, “again”) is read by א² D Ψ 0278 Ï sy bo; the reading οὐ πάλαι (ou palai) is read by Ì⁴⁶, making the question even more emphatic. The reading of Ì⁴⁶ could only have arisen from πάλαι. The reading πάλιν is significantly easier (“are you once again thinking that we are defending ourselves?”), for it softens Paul’s tone considerably. It thus seems to be a motivated reading and cannot easily explain the rise of πάλαι. Further, πάλαι has considerable support in the Alexandrian and Western witnesses, rendering it virtually certain as the original wording here.

⁸³ tn Or “for your strengthening”; Grk “for your edification.”

⁸⁴ tn Grk “and I will be found by you.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation.

⁸⁵ tn The words “I am afraid that” are not repeated in the Greek text, but are needed for clarity.

⁸⁶ tn Or “intense anger, hostility.”

⁸⁷ tn The words “I am afraid that” are not repeated in the Greek text from v. 20, but are needed for clarity.

⁸⁸ tn Or “I will mourn over.”

⁸⁹ tc Date formulae typically include the month. According to D. I. Block (Ezekiel [NICOT], 2:34, n. 27) some emend to “in the twelfth year in the eleventh month” based partially on the copy of the LXX from Alexandrinus, where Albright suggested that “eleventh month” may have dropped out due to haplography.

sn April 23, 587 b.c.

⁹⁰ sn Tyre was located on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel.

⁹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

⁹² tn Heb “I will be filled.”

⁹³ sn That is, Jerusalem.

⁹⁴ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something and has been translated here as a verb.

⁹⁵ tn Or “I challenge you.” The phrase “I am against you” may be a formula for challenging someone to combat or a duel. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:201-2, and P. Humbert, “Die Herausforderungsformel ‘h!nn#n' ?l?K>,’” ZAW 45 (1933): 101-8. The Hebrew text switches to a second feminine singular form here, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed (see vv. 5-6a). The address to Jerusalem continues through v. 15. In vv. 16-17 the second masculine plural is used, as the people are addressed.

⁹⁶ tn Or “debris.”

⁹⁷ sn That is, the towns located inland that were under Tyre’s rule.

⁹⁸ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) draws attention to something.

⁹⁹ tn Heb “Nebuchadrezzar” is a variant and more correct spelling of Nebuchadnezzar, as the Babylonian name Nabu-kudurri-usur has an an “r” rather than an “n.”

¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “swords.”

¹⁰¹ tn Heb “From the abundance of his horses he will cover you (with) their dust.”

¹⁰² tn Heb “like those who enter a breached city.”

¹⁰³ tn Heb “desirable.”

¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “set.”

¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “into the midst of the water.”

¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “cause to end.”

¹⁰⁷ sn This prophecy was fulfilled by Alexander the Great in 332 b.c.

¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “descend from.”

¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “and they will be astonished over you.”

¹¹⁰ tn Heb “and they will lift up over you a lament and they will say to you.”

¹¹¹ tn Heb “O inhabitant.” The translation follows the LXX and understands a different Hebrew verb, meaning “cease,” behind the consonantal text. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:72, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:43.

¹¹² tn Heb “she and her inhabitants who placed their terror to all her inhabitants.” The relationship of the final prepositional phrase to what precedes is unclear. The preposition probably has a specifying function here, drawing attention to Tyre’s inhabitants as the source of the terror mentioned prior to this. In this case, one might paraphrase verse 17b: “she and her inhabitants, who spread their terror; yes, her inhabitants (were the source of this terror).”

¹¹³ tn Heb “from your going out.”

¹¹⁴ tn Heb “many.”

¹¹⁵ tn Heb “to the people of antiquity.”

¹¹⁶ tn Heb “like.” The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition כְּ (kÿ, “like”), to בְּ (bÿ, “in, among”).

¹¹⁷ tn Heb “and I will place beauty.” This reading makes little sense; many, following the lead of the LXX, emend the text to read “nor will you stand” with the negative particle before the preceding verb understood by ellipsis; see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:73. D. I. Block (Ezekiel [NICOT], 2:47) offers another alternative, taking the apparent first person verb form as an archaic second feminine form and translating “nor radiate splendor.”

¹¹⁸ sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 b.c., asks God to consider Israel’s sufferings and intervene on behalf of his people. He describes the ruined temple, recalls God’s mighty deeds in the past, begs for mercy, and calls for judgment upon God’s enemies.

¹¹⁹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

¹²⁰ sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.

¹²¹ tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.

¹²² tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.

¹²³ tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).

¹²⁴ tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).

¹²⁵ tn Heb “lift up your steps to,” which may mean “run, hurry.”

¹²⁶ tn Heb “everything [the] enemy has damaged in the holy place.”

¹²⁷ tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.

¹²⁸ tn Heb “your meeting place.”

¹²⁹ tn Heb “they set up their banners [as] banners.” The Hebrew noun אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) here refers to the enemy army’s battle flags and banners (see Num 2:12).

¹³⁰ tn Heb “it is known like one bringing upwards, in a thicket of wood, axes.” The Babylonian invaders destroyed the woodwork in the temple.

¹³¹ tn This is the reading of the Qere (marginal reading). The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and a time.”

¹³² tn The imperfect verbal form vividly describes the act as underway.

¹³³ tn Heb “its engravings together.”

¹³⁴ tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 49-50).

¹³⁵ tn This Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT. An Akkadian cognate refers to a “pickaxe” (cf. NEB “hatchet and pick”; NIV “axes and hatchets”; NRSV “hatchets and hammers”).

¹³⁶ tn Heb “to the ground they desecrate the dwelling place of your name.”

¹³⁷ tn Heb “in their heart.”

¹³⁸ tc Heb “[?] altogether.” The Hebrew form נִינָם (ninam) is problematic. It could be understood as the noun נִין (nin, “offspring”) but the statement “their offspring altogether” would make no sense here. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:159) emends יָחַד (yakhad, “altogether”) to יָחִיד (yakhid, “alone”) and translate “let their offspring be solitary” (i.e., exiled). Another option is to understand the form as a Qal imperfect first common plural from יָנָה (yanah, “to oppress”) with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix, “we will oppress them.” However, this verb, when used in the finite form, always appears in the Hiphil. Therefore, it is preferable to emend the form to the Hiphil נוֹנֵם (nonem, “we will oppress them”).

¹³⁹ tn Heb “they burn down all the meeting places of God in the land.”

¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “our signs we do not see.” Because of the reference to a prophet in the next line, it is likely that the “signs” in view here include the evidence of God’s presence as typically revealed through the prophets. These could include miraculous acts performed by the prophets (see, for example, Isa 38:7-8) or object lessons which they acted out (see, for example, Isa 20:3).

¹⁴¹ tn Heb “there is not still a prophet.”

¹⁴² tn Heb “and [there is] not with us one who knows how long.”

¹⁴³ tn Heb “Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? From the midst of your chest, destroy!” The psalmist pictures God as having placed his right hand (symbolic of activity and strength) inside his robe against his chest. He prays that God would pull his hand out from under his robe and use it to destroy the enemy.

¹⁴⁴ tn The psalmist speaks as Israel’s representative here.

¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “in the midst of the earth.”

¹⁴⁶ tn The derivation and meaning of the Polel verb form פּוֹרַרְתָּ (porarta) are uncertain. The form may be related to an Akkadian cognate meaning “break, shatter,” though the biblical Hebrew cognate of this verb always appears in the Hiphil or Hophal stem. BDB 830 s.v. II פָּרַר suggests a homonym here, meaning “to split; to divide.” A Hitpolel form of a root פָּרַר (parar) appears in Isa 24:19 with the meaning “to shake violently.”

¹⁴⁷ tn The Hebrew text has the plural form, “sea monsters” (cf. NRSV “dragons”), but it is likely that an original enclitic mem has been misunderstood as a plural ending. The imagery of the mythological sea monster is utilized here. See the note on “Leviathan” in v. 14.

¹⁴⁸ sn You crushed the heads of Leviathan. The imagery of vv. 13-14 originates in West Semitic mythology. The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon [Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַּנִין (tanin), translated “sea monster” in v. 13] vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling [Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן (’aqallaton), translated “squirming” in Isa 27:1] serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (note the use of the plural “heads” here and in v. 13). (See CTA 3.iii.38-39 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 50.) (2) “For all that you smote Leviathan the slippery [Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ (bariakh), translated “fast moving” in Isa 27:1] serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5.i.1-3 in G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 68.) In the myths Leviathan is a sea creature that symbolizes the destructive water of the sea and, in turn, the forces of chaos that threaten the established order. In the OT, the battle with the sea motif is applied to Yahweh’s victories over the forces of chaos at creation and in history (see Pss 74:13-14; 77:16-20; 89:9-10; Isa 51:9-10). Yahweh’s subjugation of the waters of chaos is related to his kingship (see Pss 29:3, 10; 93:3-4). Isa 27:1 applies imagery from Canaanite mythology to Yahweh’s eschatological victory over his enemies. Apocalyptic literature employs the imagery as well. The beasts of Dan 7 emerge from the sea, while Rev 13 speaks of a seven-headed beast coming from the sea. Here in Ps 74:13-14 the primary referent is unclear. The psalmist may be describing God’s creation of the world (note vv. 16-17 and see Ps 89:9-12), when he brought order out of a watery mass, or the exodus (see Isa 51:9-10), when he created Israel by destroying the Egyptians in the waters of the sea.

¹⁴⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite in this narrational context.

¹⁵⁰ sn You fed him to the people. This pictures the fragments of Leviathan’s dead corpse washing up on shore and being devoured by those who find them. If the exodus is in view, then it may allude to the bodies of the dead Egyptians which washed up on the shore of the Red Sea (see Exod 14:30).

¹⁵¹ sn You broke open the spring and the stream. Perhaps this alludes to the way in which God provided water for the Israelites as they traveled in the wilderness following the exodus (see Ps 78:15-16, 20; 105:41).

¹⁵² sn Perpetually flowing rivers are rivers that contain water year round, unlike the seasonal streams that flow only during the rainy season. Perhaps the psalmist here alludes to the drying up of the Jordan River when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan under Joshua (see Josh 3-4).

¹⁵³ tn Heb “To you [is] day, also to you [is] night.”

¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “[the] light.” Following the reference to “day and night” and in combination with “sun,” it is likely that the Hebrew term מָאוֹר (ma’or, “light”) refers here to the moon.

¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “you established [the] light and [the] sun.”

¹⁵⁶ tn This would appear to refer to geographical boundaries, such as mountains, rivers, and seacoasts. However, since the day-night cycle has just been mentioned (v. 16) and the next line speaks of the seasons, it is possible that “boundaries” here refers to the divisions of the seasons. See C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:156.

¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “summer and winter, you, you formed them.”

¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “remember this.”

¹⁵⁹ tn Or “[how] the enemy insults the Lord.”

¹⁶⁰ sn Your dove. The psalmist compares weak and vulnerable Israel to a helpless dove.

¹⁶¹ tn Heb “do not forget forever.”

¹⁶² tc Heb “look at the covenant.” The LXX reads “your covenant,” which seems to assume a second person pronominal suffix. The suffix may have been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word (כִּי) begins with kaf (כ).

¹⁶³ tn Heb “for the dark places of the earth are full of dwelling places of violence.” The “dark regions” are probably the lands where the people have been exiled (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:157). In some contexts “dark regions” refers to Sheol (Ps 88:6) or to hiding places likened to Sheol (Ps 143:3; Lam 3:6).

¹⁶⁴ sn Let the oppressed and poor praise your name! The statement is metonymic. The point is this: May the oppressed be delivered from their enemies! Then they will have ample reason to praise God’s name.

¹⁶⁵ tn Or “defend your cause.”

¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “remember your reproach from a fool all the day.”

¹⁶⁷ tn Or “forget.”

¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “the voice of your enemies.”

¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “the roar of those who rise up against you, which ascends continually.”